


Check My Vital Signs (To Know I'm Still Alive)

by onlyatitagain



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action, Borderline underage, Bromance, High School, I'll add more if I need to, M/M, Peter is 17, Romance, Violence, Wade is like 23, but Peter has a birthday, i felt awkward using his cannon age, so I made him younger so everyone can be happy, that fixes the issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 23:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11770995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyatitagain/pseuds/onlyatitagain
Summary: Peter Parker is a reserved seventeen year-old boy in his last year of high school. Still fighting off bullies and keeping his grades up, his school life is more packed than ever.Spider-man is a web-slinging, crime-fighting, smart alac vigilante spending his nights patrolling New York. The criminals aren't too fond of him, but he's won over the heart of every civilian.And Deadpool.





	1. O n e

Peter felt exhausted after he collapsed onto his bed for the night. His patrols had left him with bruises along his chest and legs, a few small cuts (which were already healing), and excruciatingly sore muscles. He loved stopping criminals and saving people while he was at it, but being Spider-man came with a price. A not-so-luxurious price, if Peter had anything to say about it. Sure, it left him aching but his mind was at ease knowing the city was safe. He was sure the surrounding people liked it too, someone had to keep their neighborhoods safe.

He only sat there for a moment on his laptop, looking up news articles for any information about the people he had stopped last night. They were all safely in jail and Peter couldn't help but smile at the thought. 

With that, he closed the device and leaned back to meet the comfort of his mattress. It felt like a cloud on his injuries. He knew it wouldn't take long for him to fall asleep, so he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander. He thought of his friends, school, Aunt May, anything that slipped into his head. Soon he was drifting off into a seemingly peaceful sleep.

Until the nightmares started.

 

Four in the morning, Peter was awakened by yet another terrible dream. He managed to keep his reactions under control this time as he panted like a dog and threw his blankets off his body. The cold sweat was a familiar uncomfortable feeling that made Peter feel disgusting, but he learned his lesson from the last time he took a shower after a nightmare. May was not happy to be woken up at the sound of the running water at such early hours of the morning.

Instead of taking a shower and risk getting yelled at by his Aunt, Peter slipped on his suit and went out as Spider-Man. Not for too long, he had to be back before six for school, but long enough to shake the bad memories of his horribly realistic dreams off. Punching people in the face was always a good outlet in his mind. 

As he slipped out the window, Peter made sure to remind himself to keep track of time. The last thing he needed was to be late on the day he had tests in a few of his classes.

The cool air could be felt just barely through his clothing, but he smiled and breathed in the fresh scent. He crawled up the side of the apartment building and up to the roof, where he stood on the edge and looked out at his city. It was run down, some sketchy people in some places, and nothing very interesting to come see (besides Spider-Man), but it was home. 

His eyes fell shut and he began tuning out the white noise, listening for any sounds of distress. At four in the morning, there wasn't much going on. So he stepped off the edge of the building, let himself fall, and shot a web to catch himself. He shot another and swung from building to building like he had been doing for years now. Past closed restaurants, twenty four hour shops, bars, apartment complexes, and silent homes. He checked down every alleyway, back road, and main street he could, no sign of anything malicious. 

After a few double checks, he retired to a rooftop of an apartment building. Not his own, but one that was fairly close to his. He let out a sigh, content with his patrolling and almost sat down before his spidey sense sent a quick chill down his spine and a voice came from behind him.

"Didn't know Spider-Man was out looking for crime this early," Peter spun his head around and saw a figure, clad in a red and black suit and various weapons adoring his body. Oh. It was just Deadpool. 

"What the hell, Deadpool? You basically came out of nowhere, and I'm usually not out this early," he argued, his body now turned completely to the mercenary. 

The man laughed, "Of course you aren't."

Peter raised an eyebrow, the question, "What's that supposed to mean?" on the tip of his tongue. He folded his arms and decided not commenting was his best option. His eyes followed Deadpool intently through his mask, keeping his distance from him. 

"What're you doing in Queens of all places?" He asked instead, earning a shrug from the masked man. 

"Originally, I was on a mission, but I got done with that early. Then I just so happened to see your fine ass swinging around and thought, 'Damn, we should go talk to Spidey' and the boxes agreed, so here I am!" He exclaimed in response, his smile almost visible through his mask.

Peter smiled a little back, slightly shocked to know Wade Wilson of all people wanted to talk to him. He and Deadpool had collaborated a few times before, each time at least one person ended up "accidentally" getting killed. At least the guy was funny and entertaining to be around, otherwise he would have cut him off a long time ago. 

"So, if you don't wake up at four to fight crime, what are you doing up?" Wade asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well, it's kinda dumb," Peter started, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I get these really bad nightmares, okay? It's really pathetic, I know, a guy like me being bothered so much by something happening in his head he can't go back to sleep so he goes and looks for someone to shove in jail. Not my proudest feature."

Deadpool nodded in sympathy, "No, it's alright. That shit can get really terrifying sometimes, especially when you fight and/or kill people for a living. Stuff starts to replay in your head until you vividly remember every detail, I understand."

The brunette stood in shock, "Wow," he muttered. "That was really... that hit home. I didn't know you could be like that, Wade."

"I try my best," he said and took a step closer to Peter. "Are you ever going to tell me your real name?"

"Very funny, of course I'm not. Nobody knows who I am and I'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much," he accented the 'ch' in 'much' as if he was popping the letter 'p'. 

He watch in amusement as Wade groaned, his body slumping the smallest bit. He was sure the merc was rolling his eyes as he whined, "But Spidey!"

"Ah, ah, ah—no complaining. My identity will remain unknown until I decide I want to reveal myself," Peter placed his hands sassily on his hips.

Deadpool scoffed, "You're ruining my life! I just want to listen to hard metal and sneak out to see my secret boyfriend and know Spider-Man's secret identity!"

They both laughed, it was moments like this why he kept the seemingly threatening man around. They had conversations like this that always put a smile on Peter's face. Even when they weren't being ridiculous, Wade seemed to make him smile regardless. It was an emotion that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but whatever he felt around Deadpool was a feeling he didn't want to loose.

"You know why I'm out here, what about you? Does being a merc call for four A.M. killing sprees?" 

"That sounds like a fucking dream lifestyle, but no. I haven't slept all night, even as exhausted as I am I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I tried," He answered with a sigh. "My sleeping schedule is totally fucked."

Peter chuckled, "Yeah, mine too."

The younger boy walked to the edge of the roof, sitting down and letting his legs dangle off the side. He turned his head to look behind him, calling out, "You gonna come sit with me or stand there like you got better things to do?"

"Woah, when I said 'we should talk to Spidey' I didn't mean sitting next to him on a rooftop," Deadpool joked. "Of course I'm gonna sit with you, you dork."

They gazed out on the view in front of them, watching the few pedestrians walk into stores or jog by. Sometimes they would make up stories about what some of them were doing.

"What about that girl? With the heels and messy hair?" Peter questioned eagerly.

"Ah," Wade smirked. "I know exactly what she's doing, she's walking home from a one night stand or a rough night at the bar. The heels in her hand are a dead giveaway she's too tired to walk in them,which would prove she's been wearing them for a long time, and the hair looks like it's had it's fair share of grabbing and tangling."

"You say all this like it's happened to you before," the teen bantered. 

"Who's to say it hasn't?" 

They laughed together for the hundredth time that morning at their stupid jokes. Deadpool came up with a lot of those, often being rather dirty, but funny nonetheless. It hadn't felt like too long they sat there, but Peter asked for the time anyways, just to be sure.

"It's a quarter to six, why?" 

"Shit, I gotta get home," Peter mumbled, standing to his feet and getting his webshooters ready to shoot and swing. Wade stood up quizzically, an eyebrow raised under his mask as he watched the boy get ready. "It was fun hanging out with you, Deadpool, promise we'll do it again next sleepless night, but I can't stay longer."

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you around Spider-Boy," he teased as Peter jumped off the roof.

"It's Spider-Man!" He yelled back and swung through the city back home, shouting a greeting whenever he could catch someone say hello to him. 

It was just barely six o'clock when he crept into his bedroom, and from the sounds and smells of something cooking, he figured May was already up. He quickly discarded his suit for some sweatpants and a tee shirt just in time to smash the off button on his alarm clock. To make it seem more believable, he remained in his bedroom until three minutes past six. He was never a morning person. May seemed to have bought it, as she didn't mention anything about him being gone or knowing he was away. Even if she did know, he was thankful she wasn't saying anything. 

"Morning, Peter, breakfast is almost done," She smiled as he entered the kitchen and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

"Thanks, Aunt May." He replied and took his seat at the small dining area across from the kitchen. 

It was only a few minutes before she finished and set down a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him, extra bacon since she knew how much food he needed to eat. Peter started eating right away, his stomach was aching as he had been up since four and eaten nothing while he was out. Breakfast seemed like heaven to him. He was always thankful for his wonderful Aunt, he didn't know where'd he'd be without her and Uncle Ben's guidance. They were both outstanding parental figures in his life, and even now that Peter was Spider-Man, May was still holding up alright, though his whereabouts made her worry. 

"Did you sleep alright? You seem a little... awake this morning, did you have another nightmare?" She asked as she finished a strip of bacon.

"Yeah, yeah, it was fine. Just a little one and after I woke up I was just... up. Couldn't fall asleep so I just entertained myself till it was time for school," it wasn't a lie, just not the full truth. There was a very fine line between truth and lies, and Peter liked to walk along that line often.

"You could have gotten up when I was making breakfast, I wouldn't have minded."

"I didn't want to bother you, you know how you are in the morning sometimes," Peter joked and May playfully slapped his arm.

"Peter!" She exclaimed with a laugh.

The brunette smiled and finished his meal and went to the sink to wash his plate. He took May's once she was done and washed it as well, and she praised him for the good work. With the dishes washed and breakfast eaten, Peter sauntered back to his room to change into clothes for the day. His outfit consisted of jeans and a red graphic tee shirt with a blue jacket that's color reminded him of the sky covered in a thin layer of smoke. Nothing special like some guys in his school, who happened to have a lot of money and cared to much about their wardrobe rather than their grades. He was surprised those kids hadn't dropped out yet. 

The clock now read half past six and he knew he had to head out, so he shoved his suit in his backpack along with his laptop and other school things. He quickly slipped on some shoes and waved goodbye to Aunt May, then headed out the door to get to school on time. It was around a twenty to thirty minute walk, depending on how fast he walked and how distracted he got by animals or the people surrounding him. Today it only took him twenty five minutes (the extra five minutes was from petting a service dog who's owner was the sweetest gal to him), which he was quite proud of. 

When he arrived, he was immediately greeted by the clamor of people talking as they walked through the halls. It was an irritable sound that was definitely familiar to him. His first day back at school after he got his powers proved to be extremely difficult, as his enhanced hearing made the dull noise much louder. Fortunately, with time, he learned to block out most of it. 

He navigated almost expertly through the halls to his locker, where he shoved some unnecessary things into it before strolling into his first period. As he sat down he felt like something was missing, like he had skipped a step in his routine. He had went to his locker, exchanged books, shut the door, and—ah. There it was. Flash hadn't swung by to taunt him or make fun of him in some way. That's new, Peter thought.

Not like that was a bad thing, just something he wasn't used to. Maybe he was home sick or he just forgot, unlikely for either of those things since that kid hardly missed a chance to take a stab at Peter. He wasn't going to get used to it, because he was almost one hundred percent sure the bully would come around at a different point in the day. Or maybe he wouldn't, that would sure be a surprise. Regardless, Peter had work to get done and tests to study for. He didn't have time to worry about Flash's whereabouts, he would deal with that when he needed to.


	2. T W O

Peter's leg shook anxiously as he watched the minute hand on the clock slowly move closer to the large number twelve. Two minutes until he was out of that classroom and starting his afternoon patrols as Spider-Man. This was his favorite part of the day, his heart raced with adrenaline and time slowed while he stared down the ticking hands. He already had one foot in the aisle, ready to bolt out of the door the second the bell rang. A few surrounding kids had the same idea as him, but Peter was positive none of them got to be a superhero after school was done. They couldn't possibly be as ecstatic to get out of there as he was. 

Fifty nine, fifty eight, fifty seven, he was counting down now. Completely focused on the numbers, he couldn't care less about what his teacher was trying to cram into their heads before the bell rang. It would be forgotten the second everyone left, anyways. 

Three, two, one. Suddenly, the comforting yet startling ring of the bell was heard throughout the school, and Peter was out of there before anyone could say "have a good weekend". He only stopped by his locker to grab his science books and a notebook, then sprinted for the double doors at the front of the school.

 

When he was up at the top of the tallest building in town, Peter felt like he could do anything. He was ready for any criminal that was ready for him. As he scanned the scenery, he spotted a bank robber running away with a large bag, presumably filled with money. First catch of the day, he thought with a smirk and leaped off the building to swing his way to the crime. He shot webs left and right, swiftly making his way to the man sprinting into an alleyway. 

He let go of the webs and dropped in front of the masked criminal, "Sorry, bud, looks like this shortcut isn't so useful after all." 

The man looked at him, stunned. Peter took this opportunity to snatch the bag from his hands, holding it safely within his grasp. Once the man realized what was happening, he charged at Peter, attempting to punch him. His senses warned him briefly and he jumped over the guy before he could even raise his fist and kicked him from behind. The man fell onto the ground where Peter grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up. The whites of his suit stared into the criminals brown eyes, even with the mask on he could tell the guy was scared. 

"As much as I'd love to give you a run for your money," he started. "I think it'd be best for you to stick around until the cops show up." He pinned the man to the wall and secured him there with his webs. He webbed the bag to the wall as well and scaled the side of the building, smiling in satisfaction as he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. The police came and cut the criminal free, only to restrain him again with handcuffs and forcefully shove him in a police car. Peter smiled again and began making his way to the next crime. 

As he arrived, he took in his surroundings. A woman was pressed against the wall by a much larger man, who appeared to be touching her inappropriately. He frowned and landed right behind the man, who was still touching the girl, even though she was staring beyond him at Spider-Man with a small smile. 

"Why not pick on someone your own size?" He asked and the man spun around in confusion. The guy couldn't even see the infamous red mask before Peter knocked him out with a punch. And another one. And one more for good measure. He turned to the lady, "Are you alright miss-"

"Thank you, Spider-Man," she interrupted with a hug. He chuckled and returned the hug lightly, patting her comfortingly on the back.

"It's all part of the job," he mumbled as he pulled away from her arms. "Call the police and get this guy in jail," he was silent for a few seconds. Head turned slightly, carefully listing for any distressed citizens. When he heard a woman crying for help, he turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. 

"I've got another citizen to save," he smiled and shot his web to the nearest building, swinging away from her. 

He loved his job. 

 

It was five in the evening, three hours after Peter had started his patrol. And damn, was he satisfied with his work. He sat on top of a building (not the tallest one, this time) taking one last look at the city. The city he loved more than anything, his home. If he wasn't Spider-Man, he wasn't sure how he would give back to the community. Thank god he was gifted with these powers. 

A voice behind him spoke up, "Gazing off into the distance again, Spidey? Fantasizing about the love of your life? Dreaming of fucking-"

"Okay, Deadpool, that's enough," Peter laughed and turned around. It was the same position they'd been in last night, Wade leaning against the fire escape and Peter standing somewhat near the edge. "Is this going to become a regular thing? Us meeting on the rooftops after all my crime fighting is done?"

Wade chuckled, "It could be, I can't just go around without stopping by to say hello to our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, that's absolutely insane."

Peter rolled his eyes, "Whatever, did you really just come here to chat or do you want something?"

"A kiss," Wade mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Hm? Oh, I wasn't talking to you, just the boy's up here," he tapped his temple twice. "Yes, I brought you up—will you shut up yellow? I know he thinks we're weird, everyone does... I'm not dealing with you right now." 

Peter watched Deadpool intently, it was interesting to try and decipher his conversations with the so called 'boxes' in his head. He knew he heard voices, but this was the first time he ever experienced a conversation between them. In a way, he felt like he was intruding, eavesdropping perhaps. He didn't know if it was rude to listen in or not, so he listened but didn't mention anything said. Just in case something slipped out that wasn't supposed to. 

"You kinda dodged my question there," Peter said, bringing the merc back to reality.

"Well, it's kind of the same as last time, just chilling around town then BAM! Spider-Man comes swinging by! A goddamn miracle, if I do say so myself." 

Peter's laughing again, what is with this guy and making the brunette feel like a schoolgirl? He's not sure, but he definitely doesn't mind having Deadpool around. One day, he'll figure out why the mercenary makes him feel the way he does, but for now, he'll enjoy the moment and keep wondering.

"Why are you so obsessed with me anyways? I'm a stubborn teenager trying to fight people twice my age and mostly succeeding, I'm not all that impressive," He folded his arms almost insecurely. This was a subject he didn't like to talk about, but he could joke about it pretty okay if he was in the right mood. 

Wade froze, "Hold on, how old exactly are you?"

"Nineteen...?" Peter stuttered and it came out like a question. The look Wade was giving him through the mask was enough to make him sigh in defeat. He was making a huge mistake. "Fine, I'm seventeen."

"Damn, there goes all my plans," Deadpool muttered. "I knew you were young but not high school young, do you even go to school? How does that work... well we didn't have to deal with that, did we? Come on not now, I'm trying to have a conversation—don't give me this 'we are too' bullshit—"

"Deadpool," Peter brought him out of the argument. Wade apologized and motioned for him to continue. "Yes I still go to school, not telling you where, and I get out here after classes. Sometimes in the middle of the night, like last night."

"So let me get this straight, you're seventeen, stronger than the average grown adult—"

"Mr. Stark says I'm about the same strength as Cap," he commented.

"Goddamnit Spidey, let me finish. You're as strong as Captain fucking America, you climb walls, fight crime, have horrific nightmares that make you get up at unearthly hours in the morning, all while making it home in time to finish your homework and get good grades?" 

Peter nodded and he was thankful he had his mask on, he was blushing at the attention. Of course he never talked about this with anyone, besides Tony, but Tony is... well, himself. And as much as he looked up to and admired Mr. Stark, he couldn't talk about these things like this with him. Deadpool was more of a friend rather than a mentor, Peter couldn't imagine Wade as a mentor. Thank god.

"See? You really are something interesting, I just shoot people for money. You don't find many kids who come up to people like me and say 'I wanna be just like you when I grow up!' and that's probably for the best. We don't need murderous children roaming the streets," he chuckled dryly. "I think I've got as many reasons to be obsessed with you as the next guy does." 

"I guess so," he mumbled and shrugged. 

"When's your birthday?" Deadpool blurted suddenly. 

"What? 

"Your birthday, when is it?" 

"In a couple of months, why?" 

"Oh, no reason," he stopped and looked at his arm as if there was a watch there. "Goodness, look at my wrist I've got to go, see ya Spidey!"

The mercenary jumped to the nearest roof and hustled away, leaving a very confused Peter behind, laughing at Wade's antics. He smiled at the movie reference, if there was anyway to suddenly leave a conversation, that was the way to do it. Deciding it was time to head home, he found the alley he hid his backpack in and changed his clothes, then walked back to his apartment just in time for dinner. 

May looked to the door when she heard it open, smiling at the sight of her nephew. She set her spatula down on the counter and turned to him properly, "Hey Peter, did you have a good day at school?"

"Yeah it was fine, what's for dinner?" He asked, setting his backpack by the door.

"Burgers, and take your stuff back to your room," she playfully scolded. Peter sighed, picked up his backpack, and took it back to his room. "Only teasing, sweetheart!" 

"I know!" He yelled back with a smile. "I know," he said to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a tumblr! You can follow it or just check it out! https://stuckshippingstucky.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated <3


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